Prologue
Last week, I shared on LinkedIn a frustration I have with any K12 school that charges tuition, and it seemed to resonate with people.
That frustration is related to how they spend money and allocate resources.
Can you guess what it is?
My issue is that, conservatively, 75-80% of a school's revenue comes from tuition dollars, which are affected by the school's enrollment, marketing, and communication functions.
Yet, schools continue to be hesitant, or downright against, spending money and allocating resources, i.e., people, to these vital functions.
Conversely, annual fundraising only accounts for about 5-10% of a school's annual revenue, yet schools typically allocate 2-5X more budget to the fundraising function, including more staff.
To be clear, I'm not trying to belittle the fundraising function at schools.
My aim is to underscore the importance of these functions, as tuition-charging schools will continue to face increasing pressure to enroll new families. This will necessitate a shift in focus and an increase in spending on marketing, communications, and enrollment.
Do you have any thoughts on my opinion?
Please share them on the original LinkedIn post, where you can also read the many other thoughts that have already been shared.
Go To the Original LinkedIn Post
Thanks,
Brendan
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Urban School of San Francisco is seeking an experienced Director of Marketing and Communications. Urban is an independent high school with 420 students located in the historic Haight Ashbury neighborhood and known for its innovative and progressive curriculum; deep commitment to equity and inclusion; nationally recognized service learning program; and the authentic engagement of its students, faculty and staff.
Urban’s Director of Marketing and Communications promotes the mission, programs and objectives of the school to a wide range of external and internal constituents. Essential elements of this leadership role include: internal and external communications; brand management; oversight of the school’s online and digital presence; shaping and implementing strategies in collaboration with the Admissions and Development offices; development of the school’s publications and collateral materials; media relations; crisis communication and other special projects as needed.
The Director of Marketing and Communications serves as a member of Urban’s senior administrative team and reports directly to the Head of School.
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